


Countdown to Companionship

by Wolfie_Dragon



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Comedy with a sprinkle of angst, F/M, Hiccstrid - Freeform, Slightly crack, Some profanity, Soulmate AU, as in a couple of F-bombs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24377413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfie_Dragon/pseuds/Wolfie_Dragon
Summary: Soulmate AU taking place during the first movie. All babies on Berk are born with a bracelet that disintegrates once they see their soulmate's true self. That always seemed straightforward enough for Astrid, but she didn't anticipate how much she would hate her supposed soulmate. And Hiccup doesn't have it much easier when his soulmate bracelet falls off at the weirdest possible moment. All the while the war between dragons and Vikings rages on and Hiccup has a dragon to train. A romantic comedy about finding love in unexpected places.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Toothless, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	1. Soul Searching

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

Astrid's soulmate bracelet ticked happily as she walked to the smithy. Truthfully she didn't hear the sound anymore. It had been with her since she was born, after all.

That's the way things are. Every baby is born wearing a bracelet made by the Norns, the goddesses of fate. The bracelets are made of magic thread, strands of the great tapestry depicting everyone's destinies. Tied to the bracelet is a tiny wooden box, crafted by Freya, goddess of love. The box is impenetrable. Well, sound penetrates it. The relentless ticking of an unseen clock counting down to the moment you see your soulmate for who they truly are. When that moment comes the box stops ticking, the wires disintegrate, and the instant the box hits the ground it burns into nothingness.

From then on, you'll always be attracted to your soulmate, a true bond that can never be severed. The greatest love you can possibly feel, for a companion who will always be with you, who you can always rely on.

At least, that's what the stories say. Astrid couldn't imagine it. How ridiculous, seeing someone and feeling differently about them all of a sudden? All because a stupid bracelet stops ticking? It's not like one could even predict when it would stop.

And yet, some part deep inside did wonder what kind of powerful Viking could be her companion. No one in her group of friends seemed to fit the bill.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

Hiccup and Gobber were arguing about something when she entered the smithy, and she rolled her eyes. She really didn't have time for their antics. She had to practice for dragon training!

"Hey! Can I get this sharpened?" she shouted, holding up her axe. Gobber awkwardly left, forcing her to reluctantly give the weapon to Hiccup. Her worries were proven correct when he immediately dropped the axe, the clang of the metal creating a sad tune when mixed with the ticking of his bracelet. For a brief second she wondered what kind of pitiful soul would be his soulmate.

"Okay, razor-sharp battleaxe, coming right up!" he chuckled, face red. Whether from exertion or embarrassment, she didn't know.

"Careful! That's my mother's! It's been in the family forever. It's practically a real member of the clan, you know!" she said as he dragged the axe over the floor with a horrible grating sound.

Hiccup tried to make smalltalk after that, mentioning the fire patrol and how he brought down a Night Fury. Yeah right. Like a shrimp like him could bring down that beast. She turned away from him, reaching for a sword on the wall. It was pretty, but ultimately too light for her. A weird sound came from behind her, but she didn't look around, sure that it was just Hiccup dropping her axe again.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

"What is all this?" she asked, peeking through a curtain into a small workshop. It was filled with schematics of crazy machines.

"Oh, oh, that's nothing, just some stuff I'm working on!" Hiccup mumbled, rummaging around rather than actually stopping her, so she took the opportunity to go in and examine one of the sketches.

"The Mutilator?"

"Yes, it uses two weighted counterlevers to launch crisscrossing blades in four different directions," he said, and she frowned, not really understanding what any of that meant.

"How do you hold it?" she asked, not seeing any kind of grip on the thing.

"You don't, you shoot it," he said awkwardly. Riiiiight.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

"Huh. Well, I'm more of an old-fashioned take-it-down-with-an-axe-and-then-lob-its-head-off kinda girl! You know, the Viking way," she chuckled, walking out of the workshop to see Hiccup still holding the axe over the sharpening wheel. Surely sharpening didn't take this long? From here she couldn't see the axe itself, just Hiccup's back. Ah well, he's the blacksmith, maybe he actually knows this stuff.

"Go Vikings," he said, and Astrid wasn't sure if it was sarcastic or not. This boy annoyed her.

Finally he lifted the axe from the wheel, making the grating sound stop. But just as he turned around, showing her the weapon with a nervous smile, another sound stopped as well.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick…_

Astrid didn't consciously notice at first. She was too busy looking at her axe in his hands. It actually looked nice and refined. He seemed to have done a good job. Could he actually be a good blacksmith?

Suddenly she became aware something was _missing_ , and then the wires around her wrist became loose. Her eyes widened as she stared at Hiccup and the axe in his arms and realization set in.

"Hey Astrid, you coming or what?" Snotlout's voice called from outside. Hiccup's head whipped around, just in time so he didn't see her soulmate bracelet disintegrate.

The now-silent little box fell to the ground, hitting it with a soft thud before dissolving into white smoke.

No. No, no no no no no NO NO NO NO! This couldn't be happening. Her soulmate couldn't be Hiccup Horrendous Haddock! No, it couldn't be. She'd seen Hiccup thousands of times, why would today be the day the bracelet stops ticking?!

It was said that the first time you saw someone wasn't necessarily the reveal date. They say the ticking stops the moment you see the true form, the true honest soul of your soulmate. When you understand them completely. But she didn't understand Hiccup, not at all! Especially not today!

Somehow Hiccup didn't seem to notice her world collapsing, as he turned back to her and held out the axe. Unthinking, she took it. It felt strangely warm in her hand.

Suddenly she noticed Hiccup's stupid bracelet was still ticking. So he couldn't have realized yet that she is his soulmate. He couldn't know. He isn't allowed to know he is her soulmate. Because he is. You are always, _always_ , your soulmate's soulmate.

No one could ever know. As long as no one noticed her bracelet was gone she'd be fine.

Forcing herself to act normal, she swung the axe back and forth, noticing the weight was off. Off, but… better. Maybe her balance was just off now that the bracelet was gone.

"This feels different," she managed to say, more honest than Hiccup could know.

"Oh! Yeah, I rebalanced it, tightened it up, finessed it. We're a full service outfit in here," he said with that stupid smug trying-too-hard voice that she hated. Gods, how could she hate the voice of the person who was apparently her soulmate?

Without another word, she ran out, right past Snotlout and the others waiting outside. She had to be alone, had to practice with her axe. The axe would just become her companion. If she just avoids showing her true soul to Hiccup he'd never have to know.

"This is stupid," she muttered as she ran into the forest, wondering why the gods hated her so much.

* * *

"This is stupid," Hiccup said to himself as he searched the forest for the Night Fury he had set free yesterday. What had he even been thinking? What was he thinking now? He's lucky to be alive. The dragon could have eaten him after Hiccup cut the ropes.

It _should_ have eaten him, according to Gobber and everyone else. And yet… it hadn't. Hiccup couldn't explain why, but he _had_ to know the reason.

And that's why he was here now, searching for a dragon that had surely flown away by now. It was stupid. He should be practicing for dragon training, or trying to hang out with Astrid. His soulmate bracelet ticked away as it had always done. Maybe if he could train with her he'd see her true self and they'd be soulmates.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

Yeah right, like that would ever happen.

He clambered through a crevice in a cliff wall to find a gorgeous little cove below him. Something glistened at his feet.

Just as he knelt to examine it, a growl and a shadow swept over him, and he fell back in panic. A dragon, _the_ dragon was clambering up the cliff right next to him, before falling down again. Hiccup barely saw it glide to the other side of the cove.

This was his chance! He could be the first Viking ever to observe a Night Fury! So he tried to be as quiet as possible while dropping to the next rock, cursing his bracelet. Was it just him, or was it ticking even faster and louder than normal?

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

At least the dragon didn't notice him pulling out his sketchbook and pencil, so he took the opportunity to quickly draw its shape as it ran around in obvious frustration.

"Why don't you just… fly away?" he wondered to himself as he looked closer. Something was off about his drawing. It took a few seconds, but then he realized the dragon's left tailfin was missing.

Something clicked in his head, and it all made sense now. It couldn't fly because of the missing tailfin. The tailfin that had been torn off by his bolas. And now it was trapped in this cove.

_Tick-tock, tick…_

Hiccup didn't notice his bracelet had stopped ticking. He only noticed it when the little wooden box fell off his arm and into the cove below. It hit the rocky ground with a bonk that echoed all around the cove, before dissolving into a cloud of smoke like it had been burned by dragonfire.

What.

Just.

Happened?

Hiccup was too confused to even be scared when the dragon heard the bonk and looked up, spotting him on the ridge. Why did the bracelet fall off? There was no one else here! It's nonsense! It's insane! The only being here was the dragon looking straight at him with a confused expression, one that surely mirrored his own. And yet… there was something in that gaze, in those big eyes that made Hiccup want to get closer, made him want to climb down and comfort the dragon and-

Oh no.

Oh, please no!

This could not be happening. Yes, the gods hate him, but this is too cruel, right? Surely they wouldn't make his soulmate a _dragon_! Let alone the Offspring of Lightning and Death itself!

It doesn't make sense. He likes Astrid. He really really likes Astrid. Always has. He wants to kiss her and hold her and make love to her and all the things you're supposed to do to your soulmate. He didn't want to do that to a dragon!

Right?

No, of course not, that's insane. He felt no attraction like that towards the beast. There was attraction, but not… _that kind_.

The dragon was still looking at him suspiciously, and Hiccup wondered if it felt a similar attraction towards him. No, these are crazy thoughts. It's just a dragon, it can't understand soulmates or… _love_.

Oh gods, he's destined to love a dragon? He didn't want to love a dragon. Just yesterday he had wanted to kill it to impress his real love! No, he had to get away. He scrambled to his feet and ran out the way he came, cursing the gods the entire way home.

* * *

Astrid sat in the little cove, sharpening her axe and waiting for Hiccup to arrive. Finally she had managed to follow him to this place deep in the woods yesterday. She had already been suspicious of his prowess in dragon training, but today he had won the finale and she couldn't take it anymore. She hated it. She hated him. But how could she? How could she hate her soulmate? It made no sense, but everything he did made her so angry. His lying, his popularity, his performance in the arena. The fact that he stole the honor of killing the dragon from her. The way he looked at her ever since they started dragon training.

As she sharpened her axe her gaze fell on her wrist. She missed the steady ticking of her soulmate bracelet. Her parents had noticed that it was gone, but she refused to tell them who her soulmate was. Said she didn't know. In a way it was true. Could Hiccup not be her soulmate? She had been looking at him recently, trying to figure him out, and somewhere deep inside she liked his physique, his lack of bulky muscles, his lopsided smile. Even when it annoyed her, his stupid rambling was cute somehow. But that wasn't _love_ , right? Not soulmate love at least.

It was pointless to think about anyway. Hiccup still had his bracelet, and it wasn't like she'd marry him or anything. Sure, she was out in the woods to be alone with him, but that was because she had to expose his secrets. There was no desire in that. Well, maybe desire for revenge.

Astrid ran her finger over the axe's blade, smiling when the light touch still cut her skin and left a drop of blood. Perfect.

She pulled the blade flat against her chest, almost like hugging a doll. It comforted her somehow. Her weapon wouldn't betray her. Ever since that day in the forge when she learned Hiccup is her soulmate, she had barely let go of the axe. It wasn't _fear_ , she told herself. She just liked how the axe made her feel strong and protected.

As much as she hated to admit it, Hiccup had done an amazing job on her weapon. It was like a switch had been flipped in her brain, and suddenly she understood the axe, understood how to use it. Each move she trained was mastered instantly. Each swing flew just as she meant it.

How ironic that she'd use it against its maker.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Hiccup's voice faintly echoed through the cove, quickly growing louder.

"... Leaving! We're leaving! Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are going on a little vacation! Forever!" he was saying as he came into view. Astrid frowned. Who was he talking to? And leaving? Leaving to go where? Why? He put down a big basket, and had a weird… thing on over his green shirt. Somehow he hadn't noticed her sitting on the big rock yet.

Somehow she couldn't resist running her whetstone over her axe again. She felt powerful as the scraping sound made him jump up in surprise and fear. To Hiccup's credit he managed to compose himself quickly, trying to seem all casual, like nothing was wrong.

"I want to know what's going on," Astrid simply said, jumping down from the rock. As she landed her eyes fell on Hiccup's wrist. The red wires with the wooden box were on there. So at least he couldn't know about the soulmate thing yet. Ugh, what was she even thinking? This isn't about soulmates, it's about Hiccup being so good in the ring!

"No one just gets as good as you do, especially you. Start talking," she told him, brandishing her axe and coming closer. He stepped back, eyes veering between her face and her weapon.

Hiccup stuttered as she pushed him further, but just as she grabbed his ridiculous suit-thing to pull his neck to her axe, there was a noise in the bushes behind her. She instantly moved to her battle stance, shoving Hiccup away and raising her axe in both hands.

His demeanor shifted, obviously trying to distract her with ridiculous excuses about making outfits as she looked at the thick bushes near the edge of the cove. But when he grabbed her hand, saying she should drag him back, something snapped within her. Soulmate or no, she wouldn't tolerate any touching like that, so she twisted his hand, smiling involuntarily at the crunching noise and his cry of pain.

She was done. Done with him, done with this stupid charade, done with his lies and theater. How could this loser be her soulmate?!

"That's for the lies," she spat out, before kicking him while he was down.

As he lay there, she couldn't resist bouncing the handle of her axe on him for good measure. Using the weapon on him was the most satisfying thing she ever did, and it took a moment before she could find her words again, saying "And that is for everything else." Him being her soulmate. That's what it was for.

Astrid was about to use the business side of her axe on him next when there was a roar in the bushes. She instantly forgot about beating up Hiccup, going back into battle stance and scanning the treeline. There was a black shape. A shape with green eyes. Eyes that looked murderous.

"Get down!" she shouted, jumping back and pulling Hiccup with her. Why had she saved him? Was that just something you do for your soulmate?

Another roar pulled her from those ridiculous thoughts. They were spotted, and she had to fight. Fight a wild dragon. She jumped up and prepared a swing of her axe.

"No!" Hiccup shouted as he jumped at her, pushing her back on the ground. Behind him she could see the dragon. What was he doing?! He grabbed her axe and tried to pull it from her grip.

Astrid saw red all of a sudden. Hiccup's hands on her axe made her angry like nothing had ever done. It was all that mattered anymore. The dragon was forgotten. All she could think about was that she had to keep holding her axe. They struggled for a few moments, but her strength won out and she pushed him away. As he fell, his arm went right past the metal, barely avoiding a cut, but the bracelet around his wrist got caught on the edge of the blade.

It snapped instantly, and it felt like time slowed down as she watched the wooden box fall. It bounced off the ground with a soft thud… and nothing else. No fire, no smoke. Soulmate bracelets are supposed to be indestructible. Impossible to cut. It made no sense.

But before Astrid could think about that, she saw a black blur in the corner of her vision and she remembered the dragon about to eat her. Oddly enough it hadn't attacked Hiccup or her during their scuffle, and even now it looked like it was assessing her, rather than about to strike. But she couldn't wait for it to make up its mind. She raised her axe, feeling that _power_ surging through her again, but before she could bring it down Hiccup jumped between them.

"No! It's okay, it's okay! She's a friend!" he said, and somehow the dragon… calmed. It listened to him. It still looked at her with murder in her eyes, but it wasn't attacking her anymore. Or did it just not want to attack Hiccup?

"You just scared him!" he said, turning back to her as he grabbed the dragon's snout.

"I scared him?!" she shouted, raising her axe again. She wanted to strike, but that powerful feeling was gone, replaced by confusion. What was going on? "Who… is him?" she eventually asked, stepping back a few feet. Something cracked under her foot, and a quick glance down told her she stepped on Hiccup's soulmate box. How had it not burned up yet?

"Uhm, okay. Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid. Look, I know this must seem crazy, but he's good! I know he's good because he's my soulmate!" he said, so quickly she had trouble following the words. It took a moment for them to sink in, a moment in which she kept her axe raised and the dragon showed her a mouth full of sharp teeth. Definitely not toothless!

"That makes no sense! It's not true! It can't be true!" she shouted. Somehow the fact that a dragon was his soulmate seemed less important than the fact that soulmates were _always_ reciprocal.

"I know it's true! My bracelet fell off the moment I found out why he's stuck in this cove! There was no one else there! I knew I couldn't let anyone know, so I made a fake bracelet and hoped no one would notice it wasn't ticking!" he shouted back, and the dragon growled at the noise.

"But you're my soulmate!" she shouted without thinking. "Mine fell off that day in the forge when you sharpened my axe! So I have to be your soulmate too! It couldn't have been anyone else, there was no one else there!"

That stopped Hiccup for a moment. He produced a choking noise as his eyes flew to her empty wrist as he put it together.

"But… That's… I know it's Toothless. I feel this bond with him, like I can't be away from him. I feel nice and warm when I touch his scales, and I can't bear to see him in pain! That's soulmate love! Do you feel that for me?" he asked, shaking his head wildly. Astrid's head spun as she considered it. No. No, she didn't feel that. Not at all. And yet she recognized his description. She was feeling it right now. The warmth in her hands where they gripped the axe's handle, the inability to let go of it. The fury when Hiccup had tried to take it from her.

Oh gods. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. She lowered her weapon, gazing at it in horror. No, that couldn't be true. But when her bracelet fell off, she hadn't just been looking at Hiccup…

She couldn't take it. She had to get away. She had to tell the village about Hiccup and his _love_ for a dragon. Without another word she turned and ran away.


	2. Axe-istential Crisis

Hiccup wasn't quite sure what just happened. He had blurted out the identity of his soulmate, the secret he had sworn to take to his grave, to the girl he actually wished was his soulmate. Said girl had apparently thought he was her soulmate, but now it turns out her real soulmate is actually her axe? Was that even possible? A few weeks ago Hiccup would have said no, but here he was, standing next to his own soulmate: a dragon.

He was starting to think that maybe the stories they were told as kids about soulmates weren't entirely accurate.

Of course, that was all on top of the fact that Astrid was running back to Berk, surely intent on telling everyone about Toothless.

"Da da da, we're dead," he said sarcastically, preparing to run away from Berk and this entire soulmate shitshow like he originally planned. But Toothless had other ideas. The dragon growled and gestured for Hiccup to get in the saddle. Too confused to really question it, Hiccup followed Toothless' directions, flying out of the cove and over the forest. Suddenly Toothless dove down, grabbing something Hiccup couldn't see very well.

He could hear her, though. Astrid's screams were loud and clear as Toothless carried her to a tall tree, dropping her on the highest branch. Great. Now he could add kidnapping to his list of crimes, right below treason and unnatural soulmate bonding.

"Hiccup! Get me down from here!" she yelled, holding on to the branch with one hand. Her other arm was swinging her axe in their direction.

"You have to give me a chance to explain!" he yelled back, both amazed and terrified at how Astrid kept holding on to her weapon.

"I am not listening to anything a… a filthy _dragonfucker_ has to say!" she shouted, eyes full of disgust. Despite his original intentions to be nice and diplomatic, the insult struck Hiccup in his core, and he instinctively struck back. This soulmate thing may not be entirely like the stories, but the extreme urge to defend your soulmate was definitely real.

"Says the one who apparently wants to fuck her axe!"

"Oh, I don't, but I can shove it up one of your holes if you want!"

"No thank you, Toothless and I prefer to be together in constructive ways rather than just chopping stuff into pieces like a maniac!"

Toothless, apparently sick of their (admittedly ridiculous) insults, roared loudly, shutting them both up. It made Hiccup remember their situation and that he should try to get out of this alive. Maybe this could even be an opportunity. If Astrid could just see how amazing dragons are…

"Look, this is stupid. We clearly both have… unusual soulmates, but that's not what's important right now. I get that you won't believe a word I say, so… so I won't speak. Just let me show you," he said, trying to look as earnest as possible as he reached out his hand.

It took a few seconds, but Astrid eventually relented, apparently figuring she had no other choice. She swung herself to the tree, using the extra grip to sheath her axe on her back before climbing up. Hiccup decided that her not actively wielding her weapon anymore made up for the fact that she swatted his hand away and tried not to touch him at all as she sat down behind him.

"Now get me down. I don't want anything to do with you perverts," she said, clearly uncomfortable.

"Alright. Toothless, down. Gently," he told the dragon, patting him on the snout. "See, nothing to be afraid of," he said as Toothless spread his wings.

Of course, his luck could never last this long.

Astrid screamed in his ear when Toothless suddenly flew faster than Hiccup had ever experienced. Seems like there are some things a soulmate bond still can't prepare you for.

"What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon!" he yelled, thankful when they levelled out for a bit. "Hehe, he's not usually like this. I like to think I know him very well, cause he's my soulmate you know-" he told Astrid, but his rambling was interrupted by a dive.

"Toothless, what are you doing, we need her to like us!" he shouted. This is his soulmate? Really? Weren't soulmates supposed to listen to each other? Toothless obviously wasn't listening to him. Astrid probably never had these kinds of problems. Her soulmate is an inanimate object!

"And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile," Hiccup said sarcastically as the ride only got wilder.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't mock your soulmate bond again! Just get me off of this thing!" Astrid shouted, holding onto him with all her strength. It didn't make him feel warm and fuzzy like he expected it would. Probably because of the fact that the spinning made him want to throw up.

With one more sudden jolt the spinning stopped, and the world settled into a calm glide.

* * *

"No, it makes perfect sense! It's like a giant beehive! They're the workers and that's their queen! Let's tell your dad!" Astrid said as Toothless landed in the cove. Her head was spinning from today's events. This morning she had hated Hiccup for being her soulmate. And she had hated dragons for attacking them. Now she learned Hiccup wasn't her soulmate, her _axe_ was somehow her soulmate, and Hiccup's soulmate was a _dragon_. And yet that still seemed to pale in comparison to the revelation that dragons could be good. The dragons that attacked the village were simply mind-controlled by a horrible monster.

"No, no, not yet! They'll kill Toothless! Astrid, we have to think this through carefully," Hiccup said, stopping her, and that old anger at him flared up again. The whole world had gone upside down, turned out to have always been upside down, and he wanted to… what? Calmly analyze this madness?

"Hiccup, we just discovered the dragon's nest. The thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here! And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?! Wait, is this just because you don't want them to know about him being your soulmate?" she shouted, gesturing at the black dragon calmly drinking from the pond.

"No," Hiccup simply said, turning back to her with a fire and determination in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"It's not about him being my soulmate. He's more than that. I couldn't kill him even before I knew he's my soulmate. And even if he wasn't my soulmate he'd still be so amazing and special and worth protecting. So I'm not putting him at risk, Astrid," he said, the fire clear in his voice as well.

It took her breath away, made her feel things that she'd never felt before. She had never thought of Hiccup as strong, but now he felt so much more powerful than anyone she'd ever considered as her soulmate.

"Okay. So what do we do?" she slowly asked when she found her voice again. Just a few hours ago she would never have taken orders from Hiccup, but this now… She somehow trusted him.

"Just give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out," he said, and she couldn't help but have faith in him.

"Okay," she simply said, walking a bit closer to him. He looked away from her, back at the dragon, and there was so much love and admiration and trust in his gaze. Somehow it angered Astrid. So she dealt with that anger the only way she knew how.

By punching him.

"That's for kidnapping me," she quickly said. It wasn't the truth. She was feeling weird for a different reason, one that became clear to her when Toothless purred at Hiccup, and they communicated with just their eyes.

She was jealous.

Astrid had never been jealous before. Not like this. She had been angry that Hiccup had stolen the finale from her, but that was different. That was because she didn't think he deserved it. But seeing this soulmate bond… she knew he deserved it. Especially after how she and the other teens had treated him. He deserved this love and devotion of another person, even if that person is a dragon.

And Astrid also knew another simple truth: she'd never have what he has. Her soulmate is a goddamn inanimate object who would never love her back, would never hold her, would never ask if she's okay.

For a brief second she wished that Hiccup had been her soulmate after all. Not just because she didn't want an axe for a soulmate, but because she knew now that he'd have been just as devoted and loving to her as he was to Toothless.

But those thoughts were foolish. No one has more than one soulmate. His bracelet was gone, and so was hers. They were bound by fate. He would never love her that way, and that's the end of it.

But that didn't mean she couldn't still want it. Want one moment where she could pretend he was her soulmate, and she was his.

Astrid's hands reached out and grabbed his face, and then she was leaning in. Hiccup's eyes widened, making her remember, remember that he wouldn't want her. At the last second she moved, simply kissing him on the cheek instead of the lips like she had wanted.

"That's for everything else," was all she was able to say. Oh Freya, he must hate her now. She couldn't look at him, couldn't stand to see the disgust that had to be there, so she ran off.

The entire way home she hated the weight of her axe on her back. Hated it yet loved it. It was only when she was lying in bed, her hand still on the handle, that she softly cried for the love she'd never have.

* * *

Hiccup gently touched his cheek where Astrid had kissed him. KISSED HIM! He could barely believe it. And yet the cheek still felt warm.

She ran off while he was dazed, but he was too happy to question it. She had kissed him! The love of his life had kissed him! Sure, it was just on the cheek, but that was more than he ever dared hope for.

Toothless warbled next to him, eyes wide and curious, and he was pulled back to the harsh reality. What was he thinking? Nothing like that could happen between them. They weren't soulmates. She has her love, he has his. That those loves aren't human doesn't matter. It's just… not right to be with someone who is not your soulmate.

"What are you looking at?" he said angrily, lashing out his frustration at the dragon and immediately regretting it when Toothless shrank back a bit. Another sign of the soulmate bond?

Gods, what a complete mess. And he still had to think of what to do tomorrow. That's what he should focus on, that's what's important right now. Astrid was counting on him, he couldn't let her down.

Why did he still feel the need to impress her? She'd never love him like that, and… he'd never love her like that. Right? That's how soulmates work.

The exhaustion from all the day's events crept up on him, and he yawned loudly. Time to go back home. Running back through the dark forest as quickly as he could, the kiss kept replaying in his head. There had been unforgettable moments with Toothless. Hiccup would never forget that moment he noticed the tail fin and realized. He'd never forget that moment they touched for the first time. He'd never forget their first flight.

That's soulmate love. He knew that instinctively. The memory of Astrid's peck on the cheek was different from that. Not as intense. Not as _right_. And yet, he didn't want to forget it either.

Hiccup was so focused on thinking about it he didn't even notice Stoick sitting in his chair when he entered his house.

"Son! You're finally home! I kept some dinner warm for you!"

Great, that's just what he needed to finish this day. Though he couldn't deny that he was hungry.

"Oh, uh, thanks Dad," he said, sitting down and hoping his dad wouldn't ask where he had gone. Thankfully, he was able to eat in silence for a while as Stoick simply looked at him.

"You've been keeping secrets," Stoick eventually said, making Hiccup choke on the chicken he was eating.

"I… I have?" he stuttered, trying to seem innocent.

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" Stoick asked with a piercing glare that made Hiccup feel very small.

"I… Dad, I'm so sorry, I just didn't know how to-" Hiccup hadn't expected his father to suddenly burst into laughter. Hiccup awkwardly chuckled along.

"You're not upset?" he asked, extremely confused.

"What?! I was hoping for this! With you doing so well in the ring… I know where it comes from. I suspected, but now I know for sure!" Stoick shouted while gesturing wildly, making Hiccup shrink back.

"You do?" he slowly asked, trying to nibble on his chicken in a not-suspicious way.

"Of course! It's your soulmate bond! I noticed your bracelet wasn't ticking yesterday, but today it's gone for real!" his father said, pointing at his wrist, and Hiccup remembered Astrid stepping on the fake box earlier today. Wait, did this mean Stoick figured out his soulmate is a dragon?

"Uhm, you see, it's not-" he started to mutter, but his dad was already barreling ahead.

"Oh, your soulmate must be a great dragon hunter who's been teaching you! It's Astrid, isn't it? Believe me, it only gets better! Just wait until you kiss her for the first time! Or sleep with her! What a feeling! You really had me going there, son!" Stoick shouted, pushing his shoulder and making him fall out of the chair.

"All those years of the worst Viking Berk had ever seen and you just needed your other half to bring out your real potential! Oh, now we finally have something to talk about! Do you need to know anything about girls? How far have you two gone yet? I know how soulmate love can make you rush ahead, and that's natural, but you should be careful! I gave you the basics about the birds and the bees before, but this is a good moment for the complete version! Don't want to make little Vikings just yet!" Stoick said, grabbing pencil and paper, and Freya, this was not a conversation Hiccup wanted to have. At all. Ever. Even if Astrid had been his soulmate, this was just… No.

"Dad, it's not like that at all! I swear, Astrid's not… It's not like that. We aren't... She doesn't feel that way about me!" he managed to spit out, immediately regretting his words.

"Oh, she hasn't figured out you're her soulmate yet? Don't worry son, it's just a matter of time before her bracelet falls off too, and when that happens you'll definitely want to know how to-"

Hiccup really didn't want his dad to finish that sentence, and that overrode his senses.

"She's not my soulmate! And I'm not hers!" he shouted, and that _shut_ Stoick up. Oh crap, what had he just revealed? He couldn't let him know about their real soulmates!

"I mean… I _want_ her to be my soulmate, but… apparently it's someone else for her, and mine fell off… when she wasn't around," he said softly, technically honest.

"Oh."

The strange way his dad said that single word made Hiccup look up from his hands to see a sad smile.

"I… Look, son. I think this might be a good time to tell you about _my_ soulmate. I never knew how to tell you this, but you're old enough to understand now. Especially if you're… going through something similar," Stoick said, and Hiccup had no idea where this was going. His dad took his silence as a sign to continue.

"Your mother… wasn't my soulmate. Before I met her, there was another girl. We were soulmates, madly in love, and were about to marry, but then she died in a dragon raid. It _broke_ me. For a while rage was the only thing keeping me going, but then I met your mother. It was an arranged marriage, because I was supposed to make an heir. She still had her soulmate bracelet. Still had it the day she… The day she was taken," Stoick said, turning his face away. His voice was heavy and thick.

"Being with your mother was different than it was with my soulmate. It was hard. We didn't understand each other like you understand your soulmate. We didn't get that warm glow when you touch each other. And yet… _Love_ grew between us. It took time, and it wasn't easy, but I grew to love her. I like to think that she loved me too. And of course we both love you," Stoick continued, and Hiccup didn't know what to say. He had never known this. His parents hadn't been soulmates?

"Look, what I'm trying to say is… soulmates are great. Soulmates are incredible, indescribable. But there's more to life, to love, than soulmates. If you really still love Astrid, and she loves you, then that can be stronger than your soulmate love. Or at least, strong in a different way," he finished.

Hiccup stayed silent, not knowing how to process all this. Today had already been so crazy, and now this as well? The gods had no mercy on him.

"Just… don't forget to give your soulmate a chance too. When in doubt, fight for your soulmate. Because if they die, you die too. That's why I'm glad you made it to the finale. You're strong. You can protect her. Or him, if that's the case. You don't have to tell me now who your real soulmate is. Just know I'll accept whoever is. It's fine if it's not Astrid. It's fine if it's a weak Viking, because I know you'll fight against the dragons for them, just like I did!" Stoick said after a long silence, and Hiccup just nodded.

Faking a smile, he thanked his Dad before faking a yawn and going to bed. He couldn't tell Stoick. There was no way he would accept his real soulmate. That's what Hiccup had to try and change tomorrow, in the Ring. Though even if he somehow convinced them that dragons were not evil, accepting a dragon soulmate was a whole other thing entirely.

All night he tossed and turned, sometimes wishing Astrid was there to calm him, the rest of the time longing for Toothless' warm scales and reassuring presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying this wild ride of a story! Please leave a comment, and I'll post the final chapter very soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this so far! It won't be a long story, one or two more chapters to go. Those will be posted this week. If you enjoyed reading, or have other thoughts or emotions, please leave a comment!


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